Colorado Ski Lodge
by ma531419
Summary: Who knew meeting at a ski lodge of Christmas Vacation could lead to romance. For Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez it does. Especially when they find out their going to the same school. Follow them and their struggles as they tackle the cliques of East Hig
1. Chapter 1: The Colorado Ski Lodge

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 1: The Colorado Ski Lodge

Gabriella Montez. Categorized as a nerd. Quiet by nature. Long midnight black locks that came down her back. Big mocha eyes they held a glimmer of light. A smile that could light up an entire room if anyone bothered to notice her. Beautiful in a natural way. She didn't need make up, her features were naturally flawless.

She sat, curled in a tiny ball, by a fireplace in Colorado Ski Lodge (really not creative I know), ready Blow Out for the millionth time. It was one of her favorites, that's what she'd tell anyone that bothered to ask anyways.

Her purple Juicy sweat suit hugged her curves as she tucked her Ugg covered feet underneath her. She leaned back even more to get comfortable as she quietly continued reading. The Christmas music flowed around her along with the smell of hot chocolate and cookies from the snack bar in the room.

* * *

Troy Bolton. A god. A basketball superstar that was adored by all. All guys wanted to be him and all girls wanted to date him. It was the way the universe worked. His shaggy brown hair fell slightly into his eyes. His eyes. That was another story. They were like storms. A bright blue that was swirled with an undefined emotion that no one could pinpoint. And no one was sure they wanted to be able to. He was masculine in every aspect of the word. With a built body that wreaked confidence. He simply was the Golden Boy.

He walked into the 'Activities Room' of the Colorado Ski Lodge, where he was spending his Christmas Vacation with his family. A basketball tucked under his arm, his muscle shirt defining each defined curve and his strong arms. He was intent upon getting a bottle of water. Ready to get away from the Christmas music and the over-powering smell of hot chocolate and cookies.

The room was too hot for his likes. The intense workout he'd just ensued with his father still causing even his fit heart to race. He walked up to the little wooden bar that was settled in the corner of the room. He waited in line, jumping restlessly from foot to foot. His stormy eyes scanning the room carefully. Taking in each individual present.

Two girls gossiping by the fire while they sipped on a hot beverage. One winked at him. He threw them his overly confident smirk. Two guys playing chess. Weird. A large group of teens loudly talking over the overbearing Christmas music.

His eyes fell on a lone girl. She was sitting on the sofa with a book clutched tightly in her hand. Her eyes focused on the small page. Even in the sitting position she was in, he could tell her sweat suit hugged each curve of her body perfectly. And her long hair looked silky and luscious, he briefly wondered what it'd be like to run his hands through.

"Dude?" Troy looked up, it was his turn in line, "What do you want?" The younger man looked tired and like he didn't want to be there.

"Bottle of water." Troy muttered, his gaze roving back over to the pretty girl sitting on the sofa. Troy absently handed the guy his room card to scan for the beverage. Picking up the bottle and his room card, Troy nodded a curt thanks and made his way confidently over to the sofa.

"Mind if I join you?"

Gabriella jumped about a foot at the voice that loomed above her. Her eyes swiftly moved from her book to the young man. Her bitter chocolate eyes catching his stormy blue ones. "I guess." She replied.

Troy nodded and sat down, watching as her eyes tore away from his and moved back to her book. "What are you reading?"

Gabriella groaned inwardly, all she wanted to do was be invisible and read her book. "Blow Out by Catherine Coulter."

"Not exactly a classic." Troy pointed out.

"Just because a book isn't a classic doesn't make it bad." Gabriella retorted.

Troy nodded, "Touché." He responded easily, "Troy Bolton." He stuck his hand out.

Gabriella grasped it. It was rough compared to her silky flesh, "Gabriella Montez."

Troy nodded, "It's nice to meet you." He gave her a smile.

She returned the smile, "So, what made you decide to come bother me?" Her voice held amusement and her tone was teasing.

Troy gave her a smirk, "You looked lonely. And a pretty girl should never be lonely."

Gabriella blushed slightly and nodded her head, "I see. So you're just after my looks?" Even though she was serious, she managed to keep her tone light and easy.

"Well that and your book." Troy sighed, "You caught me red-handed."

Gabriella caught that he was kidding, "Well if you wanted it so bad you could've just asked." Her eyes traveled to the basketball, "But I'd need some sort of collateral." She reasoned.

Troy's eyes moved to his basketball, "Here." He handed her the orange ball. His eyes held a sparkle that captivated her.

She accepted the ball and gave him the book, "That was ridiculous." She shook her head, a giggle slipping from her plump lips as she gave him his possession back and snatched the book away.

Troy grinned at the sound of her laugh. It had a musical lilt that made his nerve stand on end. He could listen to that laugh all day long and never grow tired of it. Silence fell between the two of them for a moment before Gabriella's ring tone filled the air. Smiling apologetically she answered it, "Hello?" She nodded into the phone, "Yes ma'am. I know mom. I understand. I'm coming. No in my next life. Well of course now. Bye mom."

She grinned up at Troy and rolled her eyes, "I gotta go. Dinner with my mom. I'll see you around though Troy."

"Bye Gabriella." He watched as she stood up and walked away, with her book clutched tightly in her hand. Maybe the vacation wasn't going to be so bad.

Sighing, Troy stood up and headed off to his cabin to get showered and changed for dinner.

* * *

Gabriella woke up the next morning and sighed. Her mind had been floating back to Troy Bolton and his eyes for the rest of the previous night. For some reason she couldn't take her mind off of him. Getting up she looked over to her mother's bed and found it empty. She walked over and picked up a note.

"Mija,

I went to breakfast with a nice man I met yesterday. Order room service or hang out with friends. It doesn't matter. Just enjoy yourself and we'll have dinner tonight.

Love,

Mom"

Gabriella sighed and went to take a quick shower. Getting out, she pulled on a black sweat suit and grabbed her book. Walking outside, she made her way to the 'Dining Cabin' and went to get a table, ready to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with her book.

"Table for one?" The hostess asked her with a sympathetic smile with Gabriella chose to ignore.

"Actually that'll be a table for four." Gabriella turned around at the familiar voice.

"Morning Troy." She gave him her radiating smile. "And what makes you think I want to eat breakfast with you?"

"Cause I'm that fucking amazing. And I can read your mind." He shoved his hands in his pocket as he followed the hostess to the table, pulling Gabriella's chair out for her he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "And I want you to."

Gabriella giggled, "Well when you put it that way." She smiled at him as he took the seat next to her.

"So Brie," he looked at her, "I can call you that right?" She nodded, "So Brie, do you go anywhere without your book?"

She giggled, "When I'm alone no I don't."

"I see and why are you alone?" He held his hand up in the air and flagged down a handsome older couple, most likely his parents.

"Cause Mom met some guy and decided breakfast with him would be more fun than breakfast with me." She shrugged her shoulders, "But what else is new right?"

Troy frowned and stood as his parents came over, Gabriella smiled up at him. He seemed to have great manners. "Mom, Dad, this is Gabriella Montez. Brie, these are my parents. Brie's going to join us for breakfast." Troy made the introductions light.

"It's very nice to meet you Gabriella." The older woman smiled, "I'm Lucille Bolton, you can call me Lucille, and this is my husband Jack." Her voice was light and musical. Beautiful. Her blue eyes shimmered as she spoke, clearly glad that Troy had introduced them.

"And as my wife said, I'm Jack." She shook hands with both of them.

"I'm Gabi." She gave them both a small smile, "I didn't mean to intrude, Troy kind of made me though." She shot him a playful glare.

"Brie, Brie, I thought we covered this. I'm better than your book." He gave her a grin that would've melted the snow outside.

"Yeah, or so you like to think." Gabriella stifled a laugh at his look.

Once everyone was settled and had ordered drinks, Jack looked up at Gabriella, "So are you here with your parents?"

"With my mom." Gabriella informed him with a smile.

"And where is she?" Lucille asked.

"She left me a note saying she was going to breakfast with some guy she'd met yesterday." Gabriella shrugged it off like it was nothing, "No big deal though." She held up her book, "I was fine alone." She rolled her eyes, "But yes Troy, you're much better than a book." She cut into his near protest.

Troy nodded at her, "Damn right." Jack and Lucille watched the exchange between the two as the waiter placed their drinks in front of them and took their orders.

"So Gabi where do you live?" Jack asked her.

"New Jersey, but Mom and I are moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Well technically we've already moved, but that's where we'll be living." Gabriella rambled on.

"Wait, Albuquerque? Where will you go to school?" Troy seemed way too excited for Gabriella's liking.

"What's so great about Albuquerque?" She asked, "And I think I'm going to East High. Or maybe it's West High. I don't know, whichever one has the panthers or wildcats or something as their team animal."

"Wildcats! East High! That's where I go to school. We live in Albuquerque!" Troy's eyes held a shimmer of excitement that his parents had never seen before.

Gabriella giggled, her soft laugh hovering over the table as their food was placed in front of them. "Well at least I'll know someone. It'll make this move easier than the others."

Troy looked at her, "Do you move a lot?"

She nodded and commented dryly, "Every summer. Mom's job transfers her everywhere. This is just another dot on the map for us." She rolled her eyes, "Although, her company promises not to transfer until I graduate." Her voice was slightly mocking.

"Sounds like you've heard that line before." Troy commented.

"Try every single move we make." She sighed, "But it's no big. Mom just wants us to have the best life possible. Even if it means she works all the time." Gabriella stabbed pointlessly at her eggs. Her eyes shot up and connected with Troy's sparkling happily, "But it will be nice to know someone going in."

Troy laughed, "You'll love East High. It's not too bad for school."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "What's so bad about school?" She asked.

"The entire definition of school." He muttered. Gabriella giggled again.

"What are your plans for the day Brie?" Troy asked, changing the subject away from all thoughts of Darbus.

She shrugged "Who knows."

"I do, we're going ice skating." Troy informed her.

Gabriella giggled, "Okay, I guess that sounds like fun." When the plates had been cleared away and Gabriella had thanked the Boltons profusely for breakfast, she allowed Troy to walk her to her cabin so she could change into warmer clothes. "This is me. You can wait if you want I'll only be a second."

Troy nodded and allowed himself to be led inside. Gabriella grabbed her skinny jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Two minutes later they were heading out to the ice skating rink.

Sliding into their skates they stepped onto the ice. Troy was surprised at how graceful Gabriella moved on ice. As if the skates were simply extensions of her feet. Gabriella and Troy skated around for about an hour, pushing each other around and generally having a good time.

"How about some lunch?" Troy asked, skating over to her, he caught her hips before she could skate away.

Gabriella giggled as her arms laced easily around the back of Troy's neck. "That sounds pretty good to me. I could use something warm."

Troy shook his head, "You cold Princess?" He asked her playfully.

"Yes, this princess is cold." She joked back.

"Okay then, let's head inside." Lacing their hands together, Troy led her over to the edge of the rink. They turned their skates in and put their shoes back on to go grab some lunch.

Once seated in the dining room again the two began looking over the menu. They got water and hot chocolate and were just ready to order when Gabriella noticed her mother enter the room with a man attached to her arm. She rolled her eyes and motioned to the couple. Troy looked over his shoulder and then at Gabriella's eyes. The sparkle was gone. They looked tired and worn, like this was too common.

"Your mother?" he asked. She nodded and smiled at him.

"That must be the guy she met." Gabriella muttered under her breath. Troy and Gabriella watched as the two sat down together. They began nibbling at the food placed in front of them and Gabriella choked on her French fries at the scene playing out in front of her.

Troy turned and watched as his parents sat down across from Gabriella's mother and 'friend'. What was going on? When had they met? And why hadn't they said anything at breakfast?

Review!!!

Mollie XOXO


	2. Chapter 2: You Got Stuck

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 2: You Got Stuck

Troy and Gabriella watched as his parents and Gabriella's mother and friend interacted so easily together. Lucille and Isabella Montez shared a hug and everything. "I didn't realize they knew each other." Gabriella commented.

"Neither did I." Troy laughed. Gabriella's face however, showed that she did not find anything comical about the situation. "Come on Brie, it's kind of funny isn't it?"

Gabriella shook her head, "No not really."

It was Troy's turn to look confused, "Well why not?"

"Because, she's my mother. And she's going to push your parents away."

"Whoa, hang on. How do you figure that?" Troy asked.

Gabriella let out a sigh, "My mother has this habit."

Troy's face remained still, he assumed the worst right away, "What kind of habit?" Troy gently took her hand in his own.

Gabriella sighed again, "Come on, I'll show you." Gabriella stood up and led Troy over to their parents' table. "Afternoon Mom."

Isabella Montez looked up. She was a beautiful woman. In shape, never looked like she had children. Her hair was shoulder length, at that moment straightened. Her brown eyes were lighter than Gabriella's, as was her complexion. Though many considered her to be far more beautiful than her daughter.

"Good afternoon Mija. Did you sleep well?" Isabella's voice had an air of dignity and power. Like she knew exactly what she was worth.

Gabriella nodded stiffly, "Fine." She took a deep breath, "Mom, this is Troy Bolton. I see you know his parents."

Troy moved from his position behind Gabriella, to next to him. He held his calloused hand out and shook the perfectly manicured hand of Isabella Montez'. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Montez."

Isabella gave him a sexy smile, "You as well Troy. But you can call me Isabella. Mrs. Montez' was my mother-in-law, and I'm not that old."

Troy looked at her strangely, and then at Gabriella, who had a 'see what I mean' look on her face. "Um okay, Isabella." Sure he called his friends parents by their first names, but they were just that: parents. This woman was borderline flirting with him.

"Wait, Isabella is your mother?" Lucille looked from mother to daughter and caught the resemblance. "Why didn't I see that before."

Jack laughed, "I told you Gabi looked like someone we'd met. We met your mother last night at the adult mixer." Jack explained.

"Yes, they are very sweet." She sent a smile to Jack that did not go unnoticed by Lucille. Lucille frowned and looked up at Gabi, who rolled her eyes in annoyance. Apparently this was nothing new.

"Who's this?" Gabriella finally made note of the handsome Latino man sitting next to her mother.

"This is Carlos, Carlos this is my daughter Gabriella." Isabella gestured to her daughter.

The older man looked at her. His eyes roving across her perfect features, down her long neck. Past her pert chest, down her long slender frame, to her feet and back up again. Gabriella shifted uncomfortably. Troy's arm slipped protectively around her waist, as if to say, 'don't fuck with her, she's taken'. Carlos smirked at the action. He stood up and walked around to her.

"It's nice to meet you Gabriella. Your mother told me you live in Albuquerque, that's where I live. I hope we'll be seeing more of each other." He glanced at Troy, "And you are?"

"I'm her boyfriend. Troy Bolton. Their son." Troy cut in before Gabriella could give an answer.

Gabriella gave Carlos a sickly sweet smile and leaned comfortably into Troy, "So you live in Albuquerque too then."

"That's right sir." Troy smirked as his face fell slightly.

"Well then I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you too." He looked back and forth between the two teens.

"What makes you think you'll be seeing us period?" Gabriella suddenly asked, her mouth taking over, "I mean how do you know my mother will keep you around?"

"Gabriella." Isabella shot out of her chair, "That is enough. You will not speak to Carlos that way. He has been nothing but pleasant to both you and your boyfriend who I have not approved of."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Honestly mother, would you have noticed if he hadn't said it in front of your face. And it's a fairly recent development anyways." Isabella went to protest, "Troy I have a headache, would you mind walking me to my cabin?"

Troy looked down at her, she looked pale and tired all of the sudden, "Of course babe. It was nice meeting you all. We'll talk later." Troy gave his parents a knowing look as he and Gabriella turned to leave.

When they were safely outside Gabriella let out a loud groan of frustration, "Just kill me now." She moaned.

"Nah, I like having you around." Troy poked her lightly in the stomach.

"Whatever Troy that guy is creepy and now, just because I opened my fucking big mouth, mother's going to keep him around longer to prove a point to me." Gabriella groaned as she opened the door to her cabin. "This is why I hate 'Family Vacations'. They always end up the same, mom spends time with a strange man and I spend time alone. Some vacation." She muttered.

"You're not alone, you've got me." Troy held the door open for her and watched as she fell onto her bed.

Gabriella smiled wearily at him and patted the spot next to her, "You don't have to stand in the doorway Troy."

Troy rubbed the back of his neck, "I just assumed you'd want to rest since you've got this big headache and all."

"Getting away from my mother and her latest boy toy certainly eases the pain. Come on, you're really going to leave me all alone while I'm in pain? What kind of boyfriend does that make you?" She quirked and eyebrow at him.

Troy chuckled, "I was wondering when that was going to come up."

Gabriella sat up and looked over at him as he took a seat next to her on her bed, "Did you really mean it?"

Troy sighed and nodded, "Yeah Brie, I really did."

Leaning over, Gabriella placed a small kiss on his lips, "Good. Cause once you said it you got stuck."

Troy laughed as he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him, "I sort of figured as much." He placed a kiss on her temple.

Gabriella reached around him and grabbed the remote for the TV, "We're watching TV until I feel like moving." She informed him with a big grin.

"Oh so that's how it's going to be?" Troy poked her in the side, relishing in her sweet giggle.

"Yup that's how it's going to be." Gabriella sighed as Troy took the remote and began surfing through the channels, at least she wouldn't be alone during the rest of her vacation.

Sorry, this was supposed to go up last night, but my roommate started throwing up and couldn't stop so we had to go to the emergency room and I didn't get to finish it until now. Don't expect updates from me until the end of next week. I've got exams…fun I know. Hopefully when I take a break my brain won't be totally fried and I'll be able to post some!

Mollie XOXO


	3. Chapter 3: Making Friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 3: Making Friends

BTWs…It's Christmas Break baby! That means updates! Okay, enough from me…

"Mom, I don't understand why I have to go…" Gabriella's voice held a slight whine in it.

"Because I haven't seen you all vacation. Plus it's our last night here." Isabella Montez cut in sternly.

"Exactly, it's New Years Eve. I want to spend it with Troy." Gabriella looked up at her mother with her puppy dog eyes, "You get to spend it with Carlos, why can't I spend it with Troy?" Her reasoning made perfect sense.

"Because I said so." Gabriella let out a huff, that reasoning made no sense, "Now let's go." Reluctantly, Gabriella stood up and followed her mother out of the cabin. Isabella locked the door behind her and the two made their way slowly to the main cabin where they were meeting Carlos for the New Year's Eve Party the lodge put on every year.

"Isabella! Gabriella!" Isabella and Gabriella turned as their names rang through the air.

Isabella plastered a huge grin on her face at the sight of Carlos, he was no Jack Bolton, but he'd do for the moment she figured. "Carlos honey!" She sweetly cooed.

Gabriella tried not to vomit as she sighed, "Gabriella I'm so glad you could join us." Carlos smiled down at her.

"Thank you for letting me join you. I had nothing better to do tonight." Gabriella smiled at Carlos and sent her mother a glare.

"Well I have a table over here for us." Carlos led the way to the corner of the large room, which was filled with music and food and people enjoying themselves. Gabriella was not one of those people.

The three sat down together. "What's your poison?" Carlos asked slickly.

Isabella giggled, "Whatever you're having dear." She turned to her daughter, "Gabriella?"

"I'm not thirsty, but thank you." Gabriella politely replied. Carlos nodded and walked over to the bar.

"The least you could do is be nice to him." Isabella scolded her.

"I was being nice mom! I don't know how else to act." Gabriella muttered. She sighed and began looking ruefully around the room. A flash of caramel colored hair caught her eye, 'That couldn't be?' she shook her head, she was beginning to imagine things.

* * *

"Mom, Dad, can we please go?" Troy begged.

"I don't understand Troy, you hate things like this. Why would you want to go?" Lucille asked as she flipped through her magazine.

"Please, just this once?" Troy was trying to get his parents to go to that family party for New Year's Eve. He was determined to see Brie if it killed him. And at this rate it might.

Jack sighed, "Okay, let's go."

Lucille started to protest, "But Jack, I thought we agreed to have a nice night just the three of us?"

"It might be fun after all, right Troy?" Jack winked at his son. He knew exactly what was going on behind the stormy eyes in his son's mind.

"Yeah so much fun. A family adventure even." Troy was pulling at every string he could at this point.

Lucille sighed, "Fine, I'll go shower now." She looked over at her husband who was nodding and her son, who looked ecstatic beyond belief.

Twenty minutes later, the Bolton clan was in the main cabin in search of a table. "There's one." Jack pointed straight ahead as he led the way, taking his coat off and dropping it on a chair to stake claim to it.

The three sat down and Troy took out his phone, 'I'm going to give you your New Year's kiss if it kills me' he typed the message in and hit send.

Gabriella's phone vibrated in the pocket of her dress. Pulling it out she smiled at the message, 'Good luck with that Wildcat.' She sent the message and began looking around the room again. She let out a sigh and glanced at the clock. Carlos and her mother had been talking for about two hours. It was four minutes until midnight and she was ready to kill herself.

The dance floor cleared as a slow song came on and people began coupling off, "Can I have this dance?"

Gabriella jumped out of her skin at the silky voice that floated above her head, looking up she smiled, not even bothering to glance at her mother and Carlos, she giggled, "Why of course you may." She placed her hand in Troy's outstretched one and allowed him to lead her over to the dance floor.

"What happened to your quiet night in?" She asked quietly as her hands slid easily around his neck.

"Dad helped me drag mom to this party so I could be with my beautiful girlfriend on New Year's Eve." Troy whispered in her ear. He pulled her closer to him and she rested her head in the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath, taking in his musty scent.

"Thank you." She mumbled against his smooth skin.

Troy's face dug lightly into her long dark curls, he took a breath, loving the coconut and melon that filled his nostrils, "Your welcome Brie." The song ended, but no one moved as the countdown to midnight began, "Looks like I'll get my kiss after all."

TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE

Gabriella arched an eyebrow at him, "Who said I wanted to kiss you?"

FOUR, THREE, TWO

"Me."

ONE

Gabriella grinned as Troy leaned down to catch her lips with his own. She pushed herself as close to him as she could possibly get. His hands gently massaged her lower back as she opened her mouth willingly to him, allowing his tongue to plunge inside of her. Gabriella's own tongue lazily wrapped around his. They both let out low moans as they pulled back.

"Happy new year Brie." Troy whispered as he nuzzled his nose against hers.

"Happy new year yourself Wildcat." She whispered back at him.

* * *

"I've got your address and I'll see you before school starts." Troy assured her.

"Promise me you'll come over Troy. I'm really nervous about it." Gabriella fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

Troy chuckled and took her small hands in his, their fingers naturally lacing together, "I promise Brie. Our flight is like five hours after yours. We have two whole days before school starts back up. I'll be over. In fact, I'll be over so much you'll want to get rid of me."

"Doubtful." Gabriella sighed as Troy's hand gently caressed her cheek.

"Sounds good to me." He leaned down and gave her a small kiss before she turned to get into the cab that held her mother and their bags. Closing the door, Gabriella blew Troy a kiss as the cab swiftly left the front of the lodge.

Troy sighed and kicked pointlessly at the snow. Looking up he realized he should go help finish up packing before they had to head to the airport as well.

"Say goodbye to Brie?" Jack asked as he looked up from his bag.

"Yeah, we'll see each other tonight hopefully." Troy smiled at his dad.

"She's a nice girl Troy. I'm glad you've finally met one of those." Lucille came in from the bathroom with their toothbrushes and shampoos.

"Why do say it like I bring home blonde bimbos every other night?" Troy asked.

"I think what you mother means son," Jack began, "is that you're 18 years old and you've had a grand total of one girlfriend and she's happy that she can dream about planning a wedding one day."

Troy's eyes got wide, "Wedding, whoa mom, Brie and I really just met. No weddings yet."

"Well I can dream." Lucille sighed, "She's such an nice girl. Though I didn't care much for her mother."

"Neither did I." Jack and Troy commented dryly.

"I'm glad to hear that Jack cause she seemed to take a great liking to you." Lucille looked up carefully at her husband.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Lucille, haven't we covered this?" Troy sighed and shook his head, as he watched his father skillfully calm his mother's nerves, "Sweetheart, I have no interest in Isabella Montez. She is not my type. Period. Besides, how could I be remotely interested in any woman? I have you. I love you. End of discussion." Jack leaned down and gave his wife a small kiss on the lips that and his answer seemed to satisfy her for the moment.

Troy sighed, "Brie said she had a habit of flirting or hitting on any man she could." Troy shook his head, "I got the feeling that Brie resents her mother, that she doesn't look up to her or think of her as a good mother."

Lucille sighed, "Well I don't want to be too judgmental since I don't know the woman very well myself, but I did not like Carlos. I'm a good enough judge of character that he was more interested in Gabi than in Isabella, but Isabella didn't seem to care. Her only worry was disproving her daughter."

Jack nodded, "I'd watch out for Gabi Troy, I'm not sure if we're overreacting, but Carlos may try something with her, and her mother may or may not help."

Troy zipped up his suitcase, "I intend on becoming a permanent fixture in their house."

* * *

Gabriella lugged her suitcase inside and up to her bedroom. Setting it on her bed, she began the laborious task of unpacking. "Gabriella!"

Gabriella sighed, walking to the landing at the top of the staircase she called down, "Yes mother?"

"I'm going out with Carlos, I'll be back later."

"Okay." She replied tiredly. She watched as her mother walked through the front door of the house with a smile spread across her face. Shaking her head, she walked back into her room and continued unpacking.

She hummed quietly to herself as she separated the dirty from the clean clothes. Pulling out coat hangers, she began putting the things in their proper place. The doorbell sounded throughout the house, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Picking up her cell phone, she made her way down the steps and to the front door. Opening it she was faced with an attractive African American couple and, she assumed, their two daughters.

"Hi! I'm Claire McKessie." The older woman introduced herself.

"And I'm Kyle McKessie, these are our daughters Taylor," he motioned to the girl about her own age, "and Carrie." The other girl looked to be about ten or eleven.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella Montez, won't you come in?" She held the door fully opened to them. They all nodded together, causing Gabriella to stifle a giggle.

Walking inside, she led them over to the living room, "Is your mother here?" Mrs. McKessie looked around the tastefully decorated living room.

"No, she went out with a friend." Gabriella tried not to contort her face at the last word.

"Okay, well we brought you all this." Mrs. McKessie held out a pie for her to take.

Gabriella giggled, "Thank you very much, you all are welcome to take a seat, I'll just go put this in the fridge. Would anyone like anything to drink? Coffee? Water? Soda? Tea?"

"Coffee would be nice, is your father here?" Kyle McKessie looked around the room for any signs of anything masculine.

Gabriella shook her head, "No, he doesn't live with us." She took a small breath, "Anything else?" Everyone nodded and put in their drink request.

"Do you need any help?" Gabriella turned and saw that Taylor had spoken.

Giving her a smile she replied, "That'd be great!" The two girls walked into the kitchen and Taylor watched as Gabriella skillfully began setting everything up. "So, how old are you Taylor?"

"I'll be eighteen in two months." Taylor replied. "What about you?"

"I turned eighteen last month." Gabriella replied. Taylor was just about to ask her a question when a phone went off, "One second." Gabriella pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "I need to take this quickly." Taylor nodded and sat down on a bar stool, listening intently.

"Hey Wildcat." Gabriella's face lit up as she spoke.

"Hey Brie! So we're just about to get on the plane." Taylor could just make out the other end of the conversation.

"That's great! I can't wait to see you. I miss you already." She giggled.

"Well, I'm sure you're having a blast unpacking."

"Well, actually some neighbors came over so I've got a nice break."

"How's your mother behaving?"

"Oh she went out to meet Carlos." Gabriella's face scrunched up and she shivered.

"Brie, I really don't know how to say this without sounding overbearing, but I don't want you there if he's there. At least not without someone besides your mother."

There was a pause, "I agree with you there Troy. We can talk about it later though since I've got company."

"Okay, I'll call you when we land, maybe I can take you out and show you a real good Albuquerque time?"

"I'd like that. Love you Troy."

"Love you too babe, that's our call, so I gotta go."

"Bye Troy, have a safe flight."

"We will. Bye Brie." Gabriella hung up the phone and smiled over to Taylor, "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem. So where are you going to school Gabriella?" Taylor waved the phone call away.

"East High. And I'm so excited! Where do you go to school?" Gabriella giggled as she looked over to Taylor.

"I go to East too. And you'll love it!" Taylor agreed, Gabriella, momentarily forgetting the cookies and drinks went and sat down next to Taylor.

"Tell me about East!" Gabriella squealed a little as she spoke.

"Well, we have ridiculous social cliques, but I've got this tight group, which you're going to slide right into, that breaks all the social rules. Needless to say, we have fun!" Taylor giggled. "So what do you like to do?"

"At my other school I was on the scholastic decathlon team." Gabriella replied.

"AH! I'm the president, and yes you're on if you want on!" Taylor laughed.

"Girls do you need any help in here?" Claire McKessie stood in the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Oh my gosh! I'm a terrible hostess! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot!" Gabriella stood up with a blush spreading across her pretty face.

"It's no problem, we need to go, Taylor you've filled your responsibilities for the day, yes you can do whatever you want." Claire told her.

"Wanna hang out?" Taylor turned to Gabriella. "You could meet the gang!"

Gabriella shrugged, "Sure, sounds good to me." Standing up she pulled out a pad of paper, "Let me just leave a note for my mother and clean up a little."

Taylor nodded and waited while Gabriella changed quickly. Linking arms, Taylor led her across the street and to her little car, "You're going to love everyone, Sharpay's a little scary at first though."

Gabriella gave her a look, "Sharpay?"

"Her name really does say it all about her personality." Taylor giggled as she pulled the car out of the driveway.

* * *

The two drove for about fifteen minutes, not talking about anything really important, until Taylor pulled into a small shopping strip. "We're here!"

They got out of the car and Taylor led the way to a small café, holding the door open for Gabriella, she pointed to a large group of loud teens in the back corner. "That's us."

Gabriella nodded, slipping into her shy mode. As she watched everyone a blonde girl and an attractive dark-skinned boy sharing a kiss, she suddenly wished Troy were standing right next to her. Shaking her head she smiled as Taylor cleared her throat getting everyone's attention.

"Guys, this is my new neighbor and friend Gabriella Montez. She's going to East High too." Taylor began motioning to each person. "This is Chad Danforth," she leaned towards Gabriella, "my obnoxiously sweet boyfriend." Gabriella giggled a little, "Jason Cross, Kelsi Neilson, Sharpay Evans, Zeke Baylor, Ryan Evans, he and Sharpay are twins, and Brittany Cole."

Gabriella gave a little wave, "There's no way I'm going to remember all of that."

Everyone laughed, "It's okay El, we'll help you!" Chad said, giving her a friendly hug, which she gladly returned.

Taylor and Gabriella took their seats and ordered before a steady conversation, which Gabriella had a hard time following, ensued. Looking around, Gabriella pulled her phone out of her purse and set it on the table, willing it to ring. Not that she didn't like Taylor's friends, she just wanted Troy to come and sweep her away from the café and onto their date tonight. She missed him.

She jumped when her phone sounded. Everyone went quiet as she answered it, "Hey Wildcat. Are you safely here?" Her voice was excited and worried at the same time.

"Yeah Brie, I'm here, don't worry, we're all safe and sound. You weren't kidding when you said you didn't like planes were you." The table was quiet, listening to the responses at the other end of the phone.

"No I wasn't." She glared at the wall over Sharpay's head.

"Well we're fine and we'll be home in about forty-five minutes. How about I pick you up around 5?"

Gabriella glanced down at her watch; it was 3:45 now. "One second," She looked over at Taylor, "Can you get me home by 4:45?"

Taylor nodded "Of course Gabriella."

Nodding, Gabriella went back to the phone call, "Yeah of course baby, what are we doing?"

"Surprise, casual before you ask though."

Gabriella giggled, "Okay, I'll let you go and carry your mother's suitcases for her."

She smirked as Troy replied; "You spent too much time with my mother." He muttered. "I love you Brie."

"Love you too Wildcat. Bye." She hung up, "Sorry." She mumbled the apology to the table.

"It's no big, sounds like you've got a date tonight. Boyfriend?" Sharpay casually asked.

Gabriella arched a brow; Sharpay was clearly a gossip queen, "Yeah, to both questions. So tell me more about East High." She changed the subject swiftly.

Everyone began talking at once about the different aspects of East High. At 4:25, everyone piled in their cars, "I'll meet you at the movies, I'm just going to drop Gabriella off at home."

"Thank you so much Taylor." Gabriella gave the girl a small hug as she sprinted inside, noting that her mother was still gone, to get ready for her date with Troy.

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Mollie XOXO


	4. Chapter 4: I Don't Know How

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 4: I Don't Know How

Troy and Gabriella were stretched out on Gabriella's bed with Nickleback playing lightly in the background. Gabriella had her head resting on his chest, listening intently to his soothing heartbeat. "Troy?" Gabriella broke the silence. She moved slightly, so she was leaning over him, able to look into his stormy blue eyes.

"Yeah darling?" He gently tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"Um," she bit her bottom lip, letting her teeth leave a little indent on her lips, "I'm really nervous about tomorrow." She blushed looking away shyly.

Troy chuckled slightly, "Brie you have no reason to be nervous tomorrow, we've already compared schedules and found that we have every class, including homeroom, which I apologize about in advance, together. You're going to be great. I know it."

Gabriella sighed and looked away, "How do you know?"

Troy grinned, flipping them over so he was leaning over her, "Because I'm Troy Bolton and I know everything. Plus you're amazing. How could you not be great?"

"Cause I'm not amazing." Gabriella groaned as nerves coursed through her body.

Troy sighed and leaned down, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck, "Well I think you're amazing, and I'm the only one that matters right?" He felt he breath quicken and began to lazily drag his tongue over her frantically beating pulse.

"Troy…" Gabriella let out a small moan. They both groaned with Gabriella's cell phone went off. Rolling over slightly she picked it up, looking at the caller id; she answered it, "Yes?"

"So are you busy now?" Taylor asked her. She was going to respond when Troy's phone rang.

"Hello?" He answered angrily.

"Are you busy Captain?" It was Chad.

"Yes I'm busy." Troy and Gabriella answered together.

"Fine, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Now," Troy lightly shoved Gabriella back on her back as he hovered dangerously close over her, "where were we?"

Gabriella looked up at him through thick lashes, "I think you know exactly where we were…"

"Mhmm," Troy let his lips linger next to her ear, allowing his warm breath to brush against her skin, "that I do."

* * *

The next morning Gabriella woke up fifteen minutes before her alarm went off. Sighing, she decided to get up and shower. As she got ready, her stomach twisted and turned at what the possible outcomes of the day could be.

She couldn't help but to remember what it had been like at her previous schools. She'd been the freaky math girl with little to no friends. As much as she wanted this time to be different, she had no guarantee that it would be. Sure for the moment Troy was content with her, but how long would that seriously last? She was sure he'd had multiple girlfriends and could probably get any girl he wanted. He was definitely sexy enough for that. And what about Taylor and her friends? Would they really stick by her if someone decided that she was a nerd? Sharpay would probably let the door hit her in the ass on her way out of town.

Gabriella groaned as she fell face forward on her bed. She needed to stop thinking. It was the only way she'd even get to school. Sitting up on her elbows, she glanced over at the clock. 6:45, she needed to go downstairs if she wanted any sort of breakfast before leaving for school.

Reluctantly Gabriella stood up, brushing off her black skinny jeans and smoothing out her white button down shirt. Sighing, she grabbed her black sweater and her bag and left her room.

As she entered the kitchen she heard laughter and that deep voice she had already grown to hate. Grimacing, she plastered on a fake smile as she walked into the kitchen, "Good morning mother. Carlos." She nodded in the mans direction.

"Good morning Gabriella. Would you like some breakfast?"

Gabriella shook her head, "Too nervous, I think a cereal bar will have to do today." She gave a small grin.

Isabella's phone went off upstairs, the noise floating through the house. "That's where my cell phone is." She laughed as she excused herself to go answer it.

"Well I'm off." Gabriella went to make a beeline for the door when her wrist was grasped and she was forcefully pushed into the wall.

"Don't I get some sort of goodbye?" Carlos asked with a smile.

"You're hurting my wrists." Gabriella tried to pry out of his grasped, but his hands just tightened, pushing her hands above her head. Carlos gave her a full-on grin before slipping both of her wrists into his right hand so his left hand could undo a couple of the buttons on her blouse.

"Troy Bolton is a lucky boy. But that's all he is, a boy. You could do so much better." Carlos mumbled as his lips descended on her right breast.

"My mother's upstairs." Gabriella's breath hitched and she winced in pain as his teeth sunk into her flesh.

After leaving a mark, Carlos lifted his head, "And she's on the phone." He jerked his head to the stairs, which had Isabella Montez' voice floating down to the landing on the first floor and into the kitchen, where they stood.

Gabriella kept up her wriggling until she was able to kick him forcefully in the shin. Carlos winced in pain and let go of her wrist. Before Gabriella could get to the door, he managed to slap her on her left cheek hard enough for it to probably bruise. Ignoring the pain and the tears she was out the door in under a minute and in her car pulling out of her driveway at warp speed.

The tears fell down her face the entire way to school. Pulling into the parking lot, she sat in her car trying to compose herself. Willing the tears to stop long enough for her to find Troy. He had to make it better. He had to take the pain away.

When her breathing was back to normal she pulled down the mirror and looked ruefully at her slightly ruined make-up. Grabbing her purse she pulled out her small bottle of make-up remover and took it all completely off. Once that was done she reapplied all of her make-up again. Long ago she'd learned to keep spare clothes and a spare make-up kit with her, especially during the first week of school: when accidents were bound to happen.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the car and grabbed her bags and closed the car door, locking it as she walked towards the front of the big school.

* * *

Troy leaned against Sharpay's locker, where they stood talking every morning. His eyes were trained on the front doors of the school. He glanced at his watch. She could be there any moment.

"Troy what is going on? Why are you looking at the front doors and your watch?" Sharpay demanded, "And more importantly why aren't you listening to my very important story?"

"Because you're going to tell it 10 more times today, so I don't need to listen now." Troy replied looking down at his watch again. He'd expected her to be here earlier than this with how nervous she'd been the previous night.

"Hoops, are we on for free period?" Chad asked suddenly. Troy didn't respond.

"Captain? Free period workout?" Zeke tapped his shoulder.

"Troy?" Ryan and Jason both waved hands in front of his face.

"What the hell is going on with him?" Brittany asked, her black curls falling to one side of her head.

"Huh?" Troy asked, he turned around to face his friends, noting their concerned faces.

"Troy what's going on?" Kelsi asked, looking at him with her eyes full of worry.

"What? What do you mean?" Troy asked.

"What's bothering you? You're not one to keep secrets." Taylor asked him kindly.

* * *

Gabriella opened the door to the school and walked inside. She scanned the area. Troy told her she'd see him when she walked in. She sighed in relief when she saw his broad shoulders shrug at something Taylor had said.

Basically sprinting over to him, she dropped her bag and wrapped her tiny arms around his strong frame from behind. "Troy." She whispered meekly.

Troy was just about to answer Taylor's question, when he felt two tiny familiar arms around his waist and then the tiny scared voice that spoke his name.

Spinning around, he engulfed his tiny girlfriend in his arms, "Brie? What's wrong?" He asked as her tiny body began shaking slightly.

"He was there this morning. He was downstairs with mother when I walked into the kitchen." She felt Troy's body stiffen at her words, "Then mother went upstairs to answer her cell phone." She stopped speaking and took a deep breath. Inhaling the scent that was Troy Bolton. He could make this all better. He had to.

"Did he touch you Brie?" Troy's voice was low and laced with anger. "Brie? Did he fucking touch you?"

"Wildcat, please." Gabriella was able to let the whimper out, "Please just take it all away."

Troy's stormy eyes turned three shades darker as fury coursed through his veins. Gabriella felt the slight change in him at her plea and gripped even tighter to him. "We'll see you guys later." Troy nodded towards the dumbfounded gang.

Wrapping an arm around his girlfriend's tiny waist, he led the way through the winding corridors of the school, ignoring the curious glances coming off of every passerby. He led the way out the side doors and into the boys' locker room.

"Sit." He lightly ordered his girlfriend. Gabriella nodded and did as she was told. She looked up at him, brown burning into blue, begging him, silently pleading with him to get rid of everything bad that had happened that morning.

Troy gently slipped her sweater off her shoulders and began looking along her arms for signs of bruising. His jaw tensed when he saw the red marks along her wrists.

With shaky hands, Gabriella unbuttoned the top three buttons on her blouse and slid her bra over, revealing the decent sized hickey on her right breast. Troy ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stand on end.

Her eyes timidly connected with his and he offered her a small smile. She sighed and looked away quickly. His eyes roved her face and noticed just next to her ear her make-up wasn't covering what looked like a bruise. His hand gently came up to touch the left side of her face. She closed her eyes and flinched.

Sighing, Troy silently stood up and walked over to a sink. Grabbing a paper towel, he ran cool water over it and went to sit next to Gabriella, gently, he ran the rough texture over her soft face, washing away the make-up and making the bruise that had already begun forming visible. "Brie." He whispered with pain laced in his voice.

"I'm so sorry Troy." Her voice was just as quiet.

"It's not your fault." Neither of them heard the door open as Troy continued to gently caress her face, only now it was with his hand, as she leaned gratefully into him.

"Troy? Gabi? What are you two doing here? The bell rang three minutes ago." Jack looked at the two and noticed the bruises on Gabriella's wrist, the red mark on her chest, and the bruise on her face. "I'll let the school know that you two don't need to be in class." And he turned around and left the two to themselves.

Gabriella turned to face Troy, "Please, just make it go away Wildcat. Please." Her plea was so innocent and pitiful.

Troy ran his hand over her cheek and into her long locks, "How Brie? Tell me how."

Gabriella tossed one leg over Troy's lap so she was straddling him and leaned down, "I don't know." She shook her head as she dipped her head in the crook of his neck, "I don't know how." And they sat like that, Troy's hand rubbing circles over her back and into her hair as she clung to him like a lifeline.

Review Please!

Mollie XOXO


	5. Chapter 5: Figured It Out

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 5: Figured It Out

Gabriella pulled her face out of Troy's neck, and ran a hand through her long locks, "I told you today would suck." She laughed as she brushed tears off her face.

Troy looked at her and nodded, "What do you want to do baby?" He asked, his eyes roving over her face to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

"You didn't miss any marks and I think we should go to class, I just need to put make-up on." The stood up and walked over to the sink. She took a deep breath and pulled out her make-up bag.

"Brie, we don't have to do this." Troy's hands hesitantly rested on her shoulders, "You don't have to do this. We can stay in dad's office or go back to my house."

Gabriella connected her eyes with his in the mirror. "I'm doing this. I have to." When her make up was done and she had straightened herself out. "Come on, we're late for English."

Turning around she picked up her bag tossing it over her shoulder and holding her hand out for Troy, who shouldered his backpack and laced their fingers together, "It will be fine. You know that right?"

Gabriella looked up at him. She walked quietly for a few minutes. As they reached the door to their classroom she stopped him. "I don't know that. But you know what I do know?"

He looked down at her, "What?"

"I know that you'll do everything to make it better. I trust you." She gave him a smile. Troy returned it and leaned down, connecting their lips lightly. The door flew open.

"Mr. Bolton, and Ms. Montez I presume. So nice of you to join us."

The two pulled apart, "Good morning Ms. Darbus, missed you over Christmas Break." Troy gave her a cocky smile and Gabriella hid a laugh with a cough. Troy looked down at her and winked. "I believe you spoke with my dad." Troy looked over at her.

"Yes that was a lovely conversation too." She rolled her eyes dramatically, "Sit down." She ordered.

Gabriella looked at her warily, she was strange, eccentric, she was something else. Gabriella looked around the room as she took a seat next to Troy. It seemed that Taylor and all her friends were in the room. She tried to focus on the bizarre teacher, but couldn't help but let her mind wander. Hadn't Troy been talking to Taylor that morning? Was he friends with her? She shook her head as the bell rang. They had only been there for 10 minutes. Oops.

Troy stood up and held his hand out, "Come on, free period time." He gave her a grin. "I got something to show you." He gave her a wink.

Rolling her eyes she muttered, "I'll bet you do Wildcat."

Drawing her close by her waist he muttered against her hair, "A dirty mind Ms. Montez. That's what you've got a dirty mind."

Looking up at him through her eyelashes Gabriella grinned, "I learned from the best." She gave him a wink and sauntered down the hallway towards her locker. "And stop checking me out Bolton." She called to Troy, who was watching her carefully as she walked.

Following her, he stopped at his own locker and tossed his bag carelessly inside before moving down towards hers. "Look at you all neat and tidy." He joked.

"And we all know yours isn't." She laughed as he pouted. Leaning over she kissed his pout away, "All better now." She gave him a cheeky grin.

"Not quite, but we'll fix that soon enough." He brought his lips down so they were hovering over hers, "Now hurry up."

Gabriella smirked and leaned up to kiss him quickly, "Boy I guess what everyone says is wrong, you can't finish a job." She laughed at his indignant look before growing serious, "I thought you had something not dirty to show me?" She asked.

Troy nodded and grabbed her hand, "Come on." Slamming her locker shut she allowed him to lead her through the winding halls of the school.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Sharpay asked Taylor and Chad.

Taylor and Chad looked at each other and then at the infuriated blonde, "How should we know?"

"Cause you know everything," She pointed accusingly at Taylor, "And you're always in trouble and this is trouble." Sharpay looked at Chad expectantly.

"Okay, let's all take a deep breath and start from square one." Zeke placed a hand on Sharpay's shoulder, he looked at Taylor, "That was Gabriella right? The one you had us meet, your new neighbor?"

Taylor nodded, "Yeah I didn't know she knew Troy."

"She seems to be pretty damn close to him." Brittany commented.

"It seems," Sharpay impatiently tapped her foot, "that they're fuck buddies." She glared at a freshman that was looking at her fearfully, "Buzz off!" The little boy scurried off quickly.

"Shar, chill please." Zeke sighed in exasperation. "So how do they know each other?"

Chad sighed, "Look I haven't seen him since he left for that ski lodge. He's been busy everyday since he's been back."

"So has Gabriella, cause I've definitely tried to get her to hang out since I've meet her. She seemed really cool." Taylor commented.

"So they were probably together, which is why they both couldn't hang out." Kelsi reasoned.

"But where did they meet?" Sharpay asked impatiently.

"Maybe at the lodge?" Jason suggested. All eyes turned to him, "I'm smarter than you guys give me credit for." He muttered.

"Whatever." Sharpay asked, "What was going on this morning. Who the hell is 'he' and why did Troy act so weird?"

"Sharpay if we knew the answer to these questions we'd tell you, but we honestly know nothing." Chad looked at her. She shut her mouth with a huff and went over to her locker.

The gang rolled their eyes and went over to her locker, "You okay Shar?" Ryan put a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I don't understand! He tells me everything, I've known him forever…" She paused and wiped away the tear that had fallen. "Excuse me." She picked up her purse and shut her locker. She knew exactly where Troy was going, he'd taken her there whenever he needed to talk. Everyone assumed Chad was his best friend, but really it was Sharpay, always had been and always will be and she'd be damned if some new girl took that away from her.

She quietly walked up the steps to the roof top garden. The door wasn't shut all the way so she just sat down and quietly listened.

"God Troy…" She heard a small moan and decided she could probably open the door a little more without being seen.

Peering inside she had to roll her eyes.

Gabriella craned her neck to give Troy better access, "That feels so." She gasped at Troy's teeth sunk down into her flesh. A moan escaped her lips as he sucked harshly, leaving a delicious mark. She cried out as pleasure ripped through her body as he lazily drug he tongue over the fresh mark.

Slipping her hands under his shirt, she swallowed the moan that erupted from the back of his throat as her nails lightly trailed down his defined abs. Leaning them backwards on the bench, Troy picked up his backpack and propped her head up on the soft material.

Removing his lips from hers, he gently began unbuttoning each button, kissing the exposed flesh as it came into view. He paused to swirl the bar in her belly button around, causing her to arch her back and hold his head in place. "God Troy." She moaned.

He looked up at her, desire, lust, and some other emotion written in his eyes, "I love you Brie."

Gabriella looked at him for a moment before bringing his head down to hers, "I love you too Troy." She mumbled against his lips before pulling them down on hers. Their mouths immediately opening as their tongues sensually moved together.

"As much as I want to continue this, we can't at school and the bell's going to ring in 15 minutes." Troy sighed, pulling away. He sat up and pulled her gently up. Gabriella rested her head on his shoulder as she began buttoning her blouse back up.

"Thanks for the massive hickey." She muttered as her fingers lightly played over the mark.

"Any time love." He looked down at her before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So I was thinking," He looked hesitantly at Gabriella. "I want you to stay at my house tonight." Gabriella nodded, "And I want to tell my dad what happened." Gabriella hesitated for half a second and nodded, "He'll probably tell the police."

Gabriella turned around so she was straddling him, she lightly pushed her long hair back over her shoulders, "In the locker room I asked you to take it all away." She choked on the end of her statement. Troy nodded and placed a kiss on her neck, "And when you asked how I told you I didn't know." He waited for her to continue, "Well now I do. And I want to thank you for figuring it out before me." She took a deep breath, "What you're talking about doing, that's it. Thank you Troy." She paused again and rested her forehead against his, "Thank you so much."

The bell sounded, "It's time for gym." Troy whispered.

"It is."

"We can tell my dad, he's our coach." Gabriella nodded in agreement and stood up, offering her hand.

Sharpay sprinted quietly down the steps before Gabriella stood up. What had happened? Why did she need the police? How did they know each other? She took a deep breath when she reached her locker. She'd find out in gym.

* * *

Troy and Gabriella walked into the gym hand-in-hand. The first day of class, even after Winter Break, they didn't dress out. They simply met in the gym to talk rules and go over what they'd be doing over the course of the next 18 weeks.

"When he comes in we'll snag him." Troy whispered as he went to sit next to Chad. He gently pulled Gabriella next to him, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled when he kissed the top of her head.

When Coach Bolton came in, he immediately began taking roll. "This won't take all period so if anyone needs to talk, we can do it after." He looked directly at Troy who nodded his understanding.

True to his word, 15 minutes later they were done. "You guys can have open gym."

"Hoops!" Chad motioned for the team to start a small game. Troy shook his head 'no' and they frowned.

"Dad," Troy walked over to his dad with Gabriella in tow, "we need to talk."

Jack nodded and led the way to the opposite bleachers. The three sat down, ignoring the curious glances from the rest of the class. "What happened this morning."

Gabriella spoke before Troy could, "Carlos was there. When mother was upstairs he pinned me to the wall. He hurt my wrists, gave me a hickey, and hit me before I was able to get away. I want him gone and I don't want to go home. Mother would never believe me if I told her. She'd call me jealous and ungrateful." Gabriella looked at her hands, "He," she took a breath, "he said he wants me, he said that Troy was a lucky boy, but just that, a boy and that I could do better, that I should be with him." She shuddered, "It's so creepy, he's so old and he's so violent and scary, please Jack, get me out of there." She made eye contact with the kind man.

"Why don't you stay at our house tonight and I'll call an old friend who's a cop. We'll see what Josh says and take it from there." He placed a hand on her knee and gave it a small reassuring squeeze, "At the very least he'll have a restraining order put on him." Gabriella nodded.

Jack looked up just in time to see Michael Pappas, the football captain trying to face off with Chad, "I gotta handle this you two just hang tight." He saw Troy glare at Michael, but make no move to diffuse the situation, or more than likely infuse it.

"What are you going to do Danforth? Your bodyguard is too busy with his newest conquest. You're on your own." Michael got right in Chad's face. Before Chad could respond a whistle sounded.

"Back off Pappas or I send you to the principal's office." Coach Bolton stepped between the two boys. When Chad went to respond, Jack held up a hand, "That goes for you too Danforth." He took a calming breath, "Separate."

"Your dad is really nice Troy." Gabriella looked up Troy.

"Yeah he's pretty great." Troy tucked a curl behind her ear, "What about your dad?"

Gabriella sighed, "Ran off with Miss Trailer Trash when I was 10." She laughed a little, "The start of all my problems."

"Well who knows, this move could be the start of something new, something better." Troy grinned at her, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

Gabriella closed her eyes and leaned into his body. "That'd be nice. Very nice." She sighed.

Review!

Mollie XOXO


	6. Chapter 6: Battle

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 6: Battle

"Ready?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked up at him, fear clearly written across her face, "No, but do we really have a choice?"

"Of course we have a choice, but you have to face it sometime…" Troy's eyes danced with amusement as Gabriella closed her eyes, pondering if she should face it now or later.

Taking a deep breath she nodded, "Let's do this now."

"That's my girl." Dropping a kiss on her head, Troy pushed the big red and white double doors opened, revealing the cafeteria. As the two walked into the din, 'Hey man' and 'Sup Bolton?' and about a thousand other greetings were tossed their way.

Gabriella shivered slightly, her eyes latching on to a pair of dark brown ones. Troy looked down at her and followed her gaze to Michael Pappas, football captain. "Ignore him" Troy whispered in her ear, lightly nibbling on it and smiling when he heard the musical laughter erupt from her mouth.

Troy took a seat, bringing Gabriella next to him. He gave the table a wave, "Hey everyone."

Silence.

"What's going on?" He fished for a response.

Silence.

"Taylor?" Gabriella's voice was small and childlike. Almost lost.

Silence.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Gabriella asked again, keeping her eyes trained on Taylor, who was squirming around uncomfortably.

Silence.

"Well if no one's going to respond, then we can just go and you can just get no answers ever." Troy stopped for a moment. "Sharpay…."

Silence.

"Well come on Brie." Troy stood up and offered Gabriella his hand. Just as their fingers laced together "Wait!" rang through the air. They both turned. It was Kelsi Neilson.

"Kelsi?" Troy asked with a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I," She stuttered at the looks her friends were giving her, "I want answers."

Troy nodded and sat back down. Sending a wink towards Gabriella he looked at the mousy brunette, "Answers to what?"

Kelsi nervously fidgeted with her fingers, "Um questions."

Troy was going to make her work for this, "What questions?"

Kelsi looked pleadingly at Gabriella and then at her lap, "That I have." She whispered.

"And those would-" Troy began to probe.

"Back off Wildcat, she wants to know how we know each other to start with." Gabriella sent her boyfriend a glare and then a small smile at Kelsi, "Kelsi right?" The girl nodded timidly, "I'm Gabriella Montez and yes, I'm Troy's girlfriend."

Kelsi nodded and adjusted her glasses, "Hi again." She muttered.

Troy gave a reluctant nod, "Brie and I met at the Colorado Ski Lodge over break." Troy took her hand, "I caught her reading a book that wasn't a classic." He gave her a cheeky grin as she rolled her eyes and shook her head, as if to say 'Ignore him'. "I then roped her into eating breakfast with me and my parents the next morning, and it went from there."

Gabriella gave him a grin, "Yeah, it went from there." Troy leaned down and connected their lips quickly. It was just a brief brush, a whisper. Knowing that anything too passionate could lead to something more that the cafeteria didn't need to see.

Kelsi nodded, "Thank you."

Gabriella caught her eyes, "You have more questions." Kelsi looked away guiltily.

"Damn right we've got more questions." Gabriella tore her eyes away from the tiny brunette and allowed them to land on the blonde.

"Well that tone certainly won't get you any answers." Gabriella glared at Sharpay Evans, who simply glared back. The table looked between the two girls. It was a test of wills. Who would look away and break first.

Sharpay narrowed her brown eyes to slits before turning to Troy, "You know it's almost sickening to watch you moon over her like a lovesick puppy Bolton."

Troy's eyes connected with Sharpay's. He knew one of the reasons they'd always gotten along was because they had the same personality. Headstrong. Competitive. Passionate.

"Look Sharpay, you will accept Gabriella because I asked you to." Troy's voice was even. The table remained quiet.

Gabriella spoke. "She doesn't have to. I really don't care if she likes me or not. You said it yourself Wildcat, the only person whose opinion matters is yours." She tore her eyes away from Sharpay's and back to her boyfriend's.

Troy smiled down at her, "You're right about that." He glanced around the table, "My opinion is the only one that truly matters cause I'm the one that she's dating. She's not dating any of you." He paused, "But if you guys are my friends then you'll be nice to Brie."

Gabriella glanced at Taylor, "You guys were very nice at the café."

"What café?" Troy asked. "Wait, Uncommon Grounds? When did you go to Uncommon Grounds?"

Gabriella gave Troy a smile, "This is quite the coincidence. Do you remember when you called to tell me you were getting on the plane to come home?" Troy nodded, "And I told you I had company?" Another nod, Gabriella pointed at Taylor, "Meet my company. She was with her family." Troy's eyebrows raised, "We met everyone else," She gestured around the table, "but never once did I realize that you were friends with everyone."

Troy grinned, "Ah, well I didn't realize that your company was Taylor."

Gabriella giggled, "Life is just full of surprises eh Wildcat?"

Troy nudged his nose against the side of her head, "I'll say Brie."

Chad tapped the table thoughtfully, "So Jason was right?"

Troy looked at Chad, "Okay, I'm not sure why you're surprised, but what was he right about?"

"Thank you." Everyone looked at Jason, "I can be right at times." Gabriella giggled a little bit, but immediately hid it with a cough.

"Jason said that you two must've met at the lodge over break." Brittany commented. She shrugged, "I guess what we all want to know is what exactly was going on this morning."

Troy and Gabriella stiffened. "I have to go." Gabriella began collecting her things and before anyone could protest, was out the door.

"Troy what in the world is going on?" Ryan threw his hands up dramatically, momentarily distracting Troy from finding Gabriella, leaving it to Sharpay.

"Leave the dramatics for the musical Ryan, what's going on is none of your business." Troy stood up, intending to find his girlfriend.

"Well maybe it we want it to be our business." Zeke gave Troy the 'Come on man' look.

"Well it's not." Without another word Troy was halfway across the cafeteria and headed towards the rooftop garden.

* * *

Sharpay knew exactly where Gabriella was going. She was going to the garden on the roof. That was supposed to be hers and Troy's place. Not Troy's and some chick he'd picked up over winter break. Troy was replacing her and she wasn't going down without a fight.

Sharpay lagged behind Gabriella, removing her heels so as not to alert the unsuspecting girl of her presence. Climbing the stairs, Gabriella walked over to the bench that she and Troy had been intensely making out on early that day. How could things go from bad to worse to okay all the way to worse so quickly?

Placing her head in her hands, she took a few deep breaths before she stood up and began pacing the small area that was sheltered from what looked like the oncoming storm. She spun around quickly, almost losing her balance when she heard the door open. It revealed Sharpay. One of the people she didn't really want to see.

"Yes?" Gabriella asked wearily.

"I'm going to make myself clear. And I'm only going to do it once." Sharpay stood right in front of her, her four-inch heels dangling from her perfectly manicured fingers.

"By all means Evans, make yourself clear." Gabriella crossed her arms, slightly amused by the situation.

"Troy Bolton is my best friend and you are not going to take him away from me." Sharpay's voice was utterly serious, and if Gabriella hadn't already been completely pissed off, she would've even been frightened, but now, it looked like war had been declared.

"It is not my intention," Gabriella paused, "to take Troy from you."

Troy stopped outside the door to the garden. He could hear Gabriella talking. Who was she talking to?

"But I'm his girlfriend and that means that I'm going to be hanging around, whether you like it or not."

"And what happens if I don't like it?' Troy sighed, Sharpay. He pushed the door opened slightly and could see Sharpay was right in Gabriella's face.

Gabriella smirked, "Then we have a problem. And this is not a problem you can just go running to Troy about Evans. This is one you might have to work out on your own."

"Listen here Montez, I don't go running to Troy when I have problems that are easy to solve and you are one of those."

"And how do you figure that?" Gabriella's tone was amused. Troy laughed quietly; he hadn't realized that she was this feisty when riled up. His mind wandered to the fact that he'd definitely have to experiment with this newfound information.

"Because I was here first and I always get exactly what I want." Sharpay's smirk easily matched Gabriella's.

Gabriella gave a grin, "And when I set my mind to something, I get what I want too."

Sharpay looked Gabriella up and down, "If I find out for one second that you're using him…"

"Sharpay, you can read people well. In fact I'm sure you've already read me like an open book. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked that when you heard me talking on the phone in the café the other day, if you'd already had a list of guys that go here that could've potentially been my boyfriend. And I also wouldn't be shocked if Troy was on that list."

Sharpay tapped her chin thoughtfully and circled Gabriella, "You're smarter than I thought Montez."

Gabriella smirked, "I guess you did misjudge Evans, you clearly didn't give me enough credit."

"And I certainly misjudged the hold you've got on Troy." Sharpay gave Gabriella a look.

"What have you seen?" Gabriella's arms moved from across her chest to on her hips.

"I may have seen you two this morning." Sharpay shrugged casually.

"Up here, which is how you knew exactly where I went." Gabriella continued a smirk forming on her face. "It seems that I also misjudged you as well." Sharpay smirked triumphantly, "You haven't won yet Evans. And you should know that just because I'm Troy's girlfriend, doesn't mean I'm going to take him away from his friends. I expect him to pay you all just as much attention as he used to. And I expect him to focus on basketball and his future as well. And he knows that."

Sharpay gave her a 'Yeah right' look. Gabriella shrugged and gave her the 'You'll see, I'm right' look in response. "So that's your plan when you pulled that stunt this morning."

Gabriella's jaw locked, "You have no idea what you're talking about Evans."

"Then explain it Montez." Sharpay's foot began tapping impatiently. "I'm waiting."

Gabriella's bitter chocolate eyes looked up and down the thin blonde's body. Her long, board straight hair, perfectly made up face, which held a blank expression. The crisp white jeans with a pale pink button down. The pink stilettos, which had been placed, back on her feet. She looked perfect. She looked deadly. And for some reason, Gabriella trusted her.

"I met Troy over break and, because we were there with our parents, he met my mother. My mother met a man, Carlos, and Carlos lives here in Albuquerque. Jack, Lucille, and Troy, had a," Gabriella paused for a moment, "funny feeling about Carlos." She sighed, "As did I, but my mother didn't seem to notice anything." Closing her eyes and taking a breath, she continued, "We were right." Removing her sweater and tossing it to the bench they were standing next to, Gabriella rolled up her sleeves to reveal her bruised wrists. She then unbuttoned her shirt and slid her bra over again to reveal the vicious red mark. "There's a bruise on my left cheek covered by my make-up." She began covering herself up again, "I feel that I have the right to be secretive about my family's problems, especially since I don't really know you all and I'm clearly not quite welcome here."

Sharpay caught her eyes, bitter chocolate meeting milk chocolate in a battle of defenses. "Then why did you tell me?"

Gabriella let out a low bitter laugh, "Would you have left me alone until I told you?"

Sharpay looked up and let out a laugh, it was musical and happy, "You do have a point there Montez."

Gabriella looked up from the floor, "I know."

Troy watched quietly from outside the door. The battle between the two strong-willed forces was playing out in an interesting fashion, one that he'd never seen coming. As he watched, he wondered what the battle was about and who would win.

Review!

Mollie XOXO


	7. Chapter 7: See You at Your House

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 7: See You at Your House

Realizing that the bell would ring shortly and the two girls would have to come down to go to their lockers, Troy moved from his spot on the steps and sprinted around the corner to wait, seemingly worried, for his girlfriend.

* * *

Sharpay took a deep breath, "Well then, if you're not going to steal him, I suppose we ought to get along for his sake."

Gabriella's eyes shot back to the headstrong blonde, "What did you have in mind?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, but had to give it to her, the caution in her voice was well deserved, "What's your last class?"

"Spanish."

Again, Sharpay rolled her eyes, her sentence could've held more information, "You can answer me with more than one word, who do you have?"

"Kalantar."

Letting out a small huff, Sharpay placed her hands on her hips, "We won't miss anything in that class."

"Of course we won't because we'll be there." It was Gabriella's turn to roll her eyes, wasn't that much obvious?

"No we won't because we're going to the mall. We're going to spend some quality time together." Sharpay's hands moved from her hips. Extending her right hand she gave a soft smile, "For Troy."

Gabriella studied her hand for a moment, sighing deeply in resignation, "For Troy."

The two girls walked in a tense silence. They were, by no means friends, but they weren't exactly enemies. Both had no idea where they stood with each other.

Before reaching their lockers, where Troy was waiting Sharpay spoke quietly, "Tell Troy you're going to the bathroom and you'll meet him in Spanish then meet me outside the school. My car is the pink Mustang." Veering off, Sharpay left Gabriella to wonder how she was supposed to lie to Troy about where she was going.

Reaching her locker Gabriella sent Troy a small apologetic smile as a peace offering, "I was worried." Troy whispered, as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I know, I'm sorry." Gabriella sighed again, she'd been doing a lot of that lately, as she relaxed and let her body mold into his. Gathering her books, she walked with Troy down to his locker before the two of them made it to their next class.

For the following two periods, Gabriella contemplated following Sharpay's directions or not. Her sensible side told her not to, but her curious side told her _what the hell? _After chewing nearly through a pen, she came up with a solution. Sending Troy a dazzling smile at his slightly concerned look, she began scribbling down, what anyone else would think of as science notes on her blank piece of paper.

20 minutes later, as she slammed her locker shut, she turned to face Troy, "Wildcat, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, but I'll see you in class."

Nodding his head Troy agreed with no qualms, "See you in there baby." Dropping a loving kiss on her forehead, Troy waved a good bye and turned in the opposite direction. Pulling the piece of paper out of her handbag, Gabriella shoved it in Troy's locker and sprinted towards the exit of the school.

Opening the large double doors, Gabriella walked past the fountain and into the parking lot, jumping at the sound of an obnoxious horn honking. Spinning around her eyes widened in shock at the hot pink Mustang with 'SE' heinously written on the hood in cursive script.

"Get in Montez." Sharpay's tone was less than friendly and slightly bored. Rolling her eyes, Gabriella opened the passenger door and jumped in, what did she have to lose besides her sanity at this point anyways?

* * *

Walking into Room 301, Troy took his seat off to the side, giving a wave to Jason and Zeke as they sat down near him. "I thought Gabriella was in this class?" Jason asked.

"She is, she went to the bathroom." Troy explained quickly, glancing uneasily at the door. Something felt wrong.

"Well where's Sharpay?"

"Aren't we just full of questions today." Zeke chuckled, "And she had to drop something off at the theater, she'll be here in a second."

Jason nodded and followed Troy's gaze from the clock to the door. Letting his eyes drift back to Troy, he noted the worried expression. What was there to be concerned about? Gabriella was just in the bathroom right?

As the incessant ringing of the late bell echoed through the classroom, Troy anxiously glanced around the room.

His eyes drifted back over to Senora Kalantar who was quietly taking the roll. Where was Gabriella?

"Where the fuck in Shar?" Zeke muttered, "The nerve of her leaving me alone with the two of you."

"You're not alone idiot, there's a whole class here." Jason nodded his head to the left, where the rest of the students sat.

Rolling his eyes, "You know what I mean" was the only thing Zeke could respond with.

"Where are Miss Montez and Miss Evans?" The thick Puerto Rican accent of their teacher silenced the quietly chatting students.

Troy and Zeke shared a look. Neither of them would be this late.

"Brie's new, so she might be lost." Troy offered the explanation even though he didn't believe it.

"And Shar's in the theater, Ms. Darbus needed something." Zeke tossed the excuse for his girlfriend out there.

"Well why don't you gentlemen go get them, we're just going over the syllabus anyways." Nodding at the suggestion, Troy motioned for Jason to follow them. All three boys had to refrain from rolling their eyes with Senora Kalantar made no objection to them bringing in a third party.

"Zeke you go to the theater, Jason girl's bathroom, I'm going to the rooftop garden." Troy left no room for debate, as he simply turned towards the science department.

Ten minutes later the boys stood in front of Troy's locker. "No luck?" When Zeke and Jason shook their heads Troy forcefully kicked his locker, causing it to spring back and open up.

"Dude, don't break it that won't help." Zeke placed a calming hand on Troy's shoulder, "Besides they're probably together."

"What's this?" Jason bent down to pick up the sheet of paper that had been hastily shoved in Troy's locker and had floated to the floor.

Snatching it out of Jason's hand, Troy opened it.

_Now don't be mad Wildcat, but Sharpay and I are going to the mall to bond or something. It was her idea and she told me not to tell you cause you wouldn't let me skip class. Somehow Sharpay's got the homework and it's not difficult at all. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Evans seems to know everything about everyone. Anyhow, feel free to call me, but I'm fine. I love you and I'll have Sharpay drop me off at your house when we're done. I promise not to go home without you. I don't want to go home ever anyhow. _

_Love always and forever Wildcat,_

_Brie_

"Fuck your girlfriend Zeke." Troy muttered darkly.

"Only me and why?" Zeke chuckled.

"They're at the mall." Troy shoved the note towards Zeke.

Whistling, Zeke showed it to Jason, "So why doesn't she want to go home ever?" Jason finally broke the silence.

"No one utters a word of this. No one says that they're at the mall, and no one mentions anything personal Brie says." Troy's voice was low and dangerous, the tone he used with the football team.

"Well what are we going to do?" Jason asked.

"We're going to the mall, cause as much as I love Shar, I don't trust her one bit." Troy shoved the note in his locker and closed it with a bang, fishing his car keys out of his pocket, Zeke and Jason fell in step with him.

"That makes two of us." Zeke muttered.

Review!!!

Mollie XOXO


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys it's Mollie. I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, but things have been crazy around here. My best friend's dad just died and it was really sudden. I'm the only one that goes to school within driving distance of her house so I basically live in my car driving the two hours back and forth every night to be with her family. Plus I have finals in like a week…oh the joy of school….so I'm basically booked between helping with the funeral and studying for everything I have barely had time to take a breather, let alone write.

For the moment I've got the beginning of the new chapters to Dream, Life at EHS, and Welcome to Camp Rock written, when things slow down I'll be able to finish them and as I finish a chapter I promise to post it. Just stick with me, in like 2 weeks all this crap will be over and I'll be on summer vacation free to write whenever I want!

Thanks! Happy Easter!

Mollie XOXO


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